Next on the Iowa Board of Regents agenda: Consider a schedule for increasing tuition

A corn monument is seen during homecoming week at the University of Iowa on Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018, on the west side of the Pentacrest behind the Old Capitol building in Iowa City, Iowa.(Photo: Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen)Buy Photo

University of Iowa leadership say the institution needs an additional $31 million per year to improve the student experience, and they're asking for students to shoulder more than a third of the bill.

The Iowa Board of Regents will review a report on the tuition rates at peer institutions and consider the university's request for raising tuition at the Nov. 15-16 board meeting.

The discussion has been a long-time coming. In September, board president Michael Richardsconfirmed that regents would begin the discussion of a scheduled multi-year base tuition increase in November.

The tuition increases would begin as early as fall of 2019 and come alongside other efforts to raise the $31 million as part of the university's Strategic Plan, which aims to bolster research and retain quality faculty. University leadership committed to carving out $10.9 million from its regular operations and requested an additional $7 million in state funding from lawmakers this year.

"Of the remaining $13.1 million, the university will work with the Board of Regents to determine tuition increases that are sustainable and predictable to ensure the student experience is valuable and the value of a University of Iowa degree is enhanced," reads the report to be presented to the board next week.

Receiving an additional $7 million from the state would be a break from the norm.

On top of annual budget cuts, state lawmakers have made midyear budget cuts to the university's funding each of the last two years.

State appropriations make up around 29 percent of the UI's general education fund, which sits at around $745 million this school year. In the 2016-2017 school year, the university received $232 million in state appropriations, only to have the funding cut by $9 million midyear. Last school year, funding was cut by $5.5 million midyear, leading to a campus-wide halt to construction projects to make up the difference.

The board voted to request around $221 million for the University of Iowa in September.

The November discussion about tuition comes on the heels of the board's decision to raise tuition at all Iowa public universities, including raising tuition at the UI by around 3.8 percent for the current school year.

How does UI tuition compare to other universities?

Still, in board documents, the tuition rates at the Iowa universities are considered to be lower than that of their respect peer institutes across the nation. In the University of Iowa's peer group, UI has the second most affordable tuition and fee rate for residents. At $9,267, the rate is about $3,000 below the average.

Among Iowa State University's peer group, ISU has the most affordable resident tuition and fees. At $8,988, the rate is also about $3,000 below the average for ISU's respective group

For non-residents, the UI tuition and fee rate is $31,233, the third most-affordable among the peer group. At ISU, the rate is $23,392, the most affordable among the institution's respective peer group.

Authors of the document point out that tuition has sharply increased at public universities in other states over the last decade. Adjusted for inflation, the Iowa universities have seen on average a 19 percent increase in tuition since 2008.

In that same time-frame, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that tuition in states like Louisiana, Arizona, Hawaii and Georgia has increased by more than 69 percent.

The Great Recession seems to mark a turning point for Iowa universities. When adjusted for inflation, the per-student state funding in Iowa hasn't returned to 2008 levels, according to the CBPP.

"While states have been reinvesting in higher education for the past few years, resources remain well below 2008 levels — even as state revenues have returned to pre-recession levels," reads the board report.